Nox Caelum
by Madame Rhea Di'Ey
Summary: Orhime is contemplating the sky. Grimmjow is tormented by a question. Her answer leads him to a conclusion - the woman is insane. But then again, that's why he loves her. [Lightly AU flavored]


_**Nox**** Cael****um**_

Orihime stared up at the endless blackness of the sky above her head. Gentle winds bristled, the beige, whitened sands dancing in the rhythm the breeze was setting. The moon that once seemed vile now simply gave the orange-haired girl a feeling of contentment. It was nice, to say the least, standing here, atop Las Noches, and simply staring at the oblivion in which an unseen god had dropped silver glitter. She sighed happily, her never-ending thoughts contemplating the somewhat sinister beauty Hueco Mundo had to offer. Rustle of clothing other than her own broke her musings, and she rolled around partially to see who entered her 'sanctuary'.

She smiles. "Grimmjow."

His face lacks the feral grin that seems, sometimes, to be tattooed onto his features. One rare time, the man looks deadly still. Thoughtful. Not like a predator considering the best course of action to catch and eat his prey; thoughtful like a man who had one too many shots of vodka and yet is still sober enough to be eaten alive by melancholia and sadness. Thoughtful like a man who needs but one last piece to finish a difficult puzzle. Thoughtful like the philosopher who stands face to face with Death, and has a million of questions to ask but only one that he can voice. Orihime's legs dangle over the edge of the rooftop they are standing on, curious eyes that look like rainclouds staring up at him, an unsure smile plastered on her face. She lightly pats the concrete surface in the near vicinity, silently inviting him to take a seat next to her. He plops down gracelessly.

Always so blunt. So unceremonious. So...raw. Wild, unpredictable, feral and absolutely insane. Yet he is also a man of honor, who, despite being seen as a beast still has a moral code when compared to supposedly _superior beings_. Like some shinigami – namely, Aizen – who out of narcissism decided they were better than any God to ever be worshiped and thus deserve to rule the world. The princess of Hueco Mundo gazes at the man seated next to her, and realizes something else. He is...strangely endearing. Despite his faults (_which aren't a few_) he is more human than a lot of people she knows. Because although his kin is said to be made of untamed monsters, this man standing so still, like a child in awe of the sky, his neck craned up to gaze at the exact same thing she did seconds ago, has a more feeling heart than so many humans. Irony is bittersweet in that aspect.

He copies her position, only that instead of at his sides, his arms rest underneath his head. Intense sapphires take in the endlessness of the sky, and marvel at how he could never stop to notice the sight before she came into view. The misplaced ray of light that suddenly lit on fire their reality. The gentle sun that taught them kindness, forgiveness, mercy, _love._ And suddenly, Aizen's mighty Arrancar were tamed by a single teenage human whose sheer presence was enough to change lives. The bastard took her as a diversion, and said her great power lays in the fact that it is on par with a God's. He begged to differ. Her power lay in the fact she could change lives by simply barging into them. Her airhead, clumsy, kind self was nearly impossible to feel hate or disdain towards. She was beautiful, inside out, and her heart seemed at times more endless than the oblivion he was staring at. But the question eats away at him. So, he rolls to the side, his eyes boring into hers, seeking to stare into her very soul. He looks pained. "Why did you stay?"

The question takes her by surprise. Why, indeed, did she stay? Why pick a colorblind world painted black, white and sand, over the brightness of her home, or the peacefulness Seireitei had to offer?

She couldn't answer that question herself. When Aizen was finally defeated and captured, she bluntly refused to return to the World of The Living. Instead, she fixed her clothes as much as she could and began her search for the beaten down Espada. She fixed them all, asking for the ones who went to the other side with Aizen to be brought to her. She healed each and every cut, no matter how small, and ticked time back to return life to their glassed-over eyes. In exchange, she pleaded them to not harm anyone any longer. Strangely, they all agreed. And then she did the weirdest thing Orihime did in her short existence.

She stayed.

She picked to reside with monsters instead of men, picked the broken over the kami's legacy. And she never seemed to regret her decision of remaining Hueco Mundo's princess. Somehow, due to her 'taming' of the Espada, the Gotei 13 silently counted on her to keep things under control in the Hollow dimension. And that, she did. Even the lecherous Nnoitora acted more dignified and less mad around her. Because she was their little treasure, their only sun in the oblivion death and the vileness of a single man had brought. Their only hope in the despair the vices of the sinner had bestowed upon them. She was like a gift from a merciful Lord.

A gift they didn't see coming, but gladly accepted. Because her presence was a blessing they unconsciously sought. Because her smile was breathtaking. Because her cheerfulness and good disposition were contagious. Because she didn't see them as vile things. Because. Reasons were many, and it would take two lifetimes to list them all. One summed them all up – because she was she, and she wasn't going to change. That was reassuring, as weird as it did sound and seem. Her answer is baffling, and wakes a warmth inside his nonexistent heart (_rather, it wakes a warmth in where his figurative heart should be at, and there is nothing wrong with that, he's sure_).

"Because this is the only place to ever feel like home since Nii-san died." Was she insane? Probably. Why then is his mouth agape and there is a quickened pulse racing through his veins? Grimmjow swallows audibly.

"How can you see this hell as home, woman?" he questions, disbelief printed in his eyes. Her serene smile only widens.

"Because the demons aren't as black as people paint them." she responds, and rolls to look directly into his eyes. Her left hand holds her head propped up, orange ripples of long locks cascading down her shoulder and back. There, in the strong moonlight, she looks like an angel. He's suddenly ashamed he dared sit in her presence, and feels like running, but her right hand lifts and gently cups his cheek into her warm, soft palm. His voice dies in his throat, and words are no longer found, as his eyes go blank like unwritten pages of a notebook. She draws him toward her, welcoming his much more massive frame into her frail arms, her embrace tight. The sudden pull rolls him around until he is on top of her, but she doesn't seem to mind the crushing weight. He is more mindful.

He rolls them around again, pulling her into his lap as he goes, an arm wrapped around her waist. He sighs into her hair, kissing lightly the crown of her head. "You're one insane girl, Inoue Orihime." She laughs into his chest, putting some distance between them only to gaze up at him lovingly, mirth and a certain twinkle in her eyes. "You never seem to mind it, though." His only response is a smirk and a heated kiss that promises the world yet only gives her a heart.

_And for her, that heart is more than enough, because Grimmjow Jaegerjaquez isn't a man to love a second time._

* * *

**Author's Note: **Some AU GrimmHime my muse tempted me to spill, where Hime stays and Grimmkitty wonders just why the hell did she picked to fix 'em up and grace them with her very existence. I am currently very short on time x.x, but spring break starts for me on March 29th. I will manage to find time to update my multi-chapter story centered around Orihime during that two weeks of freedom. I'm considering starting with doing some heavy edit on the prologue and first chapter. I'm unhappy with them; but then again, I'm never pleased.

Anyway. The title of this thing means "Night Sky". I might change it from a one-shot by adding a continuation consisting of a sequel and eventually a sequel to the sequel...xD Depends.

I really like the motif of sky. I am quite fond of and in awe with the sky, so...yeah. See ya next time, folks.

~_Angelica_


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